Tottenham have suffered a setback in the race for Inter Milan playmaker Andrea Pinamonti after the entry of Chelsea into the picture, as per the reports from Calcio Mercato. The North London outfit had made the 17-year-old a target for signing in January. The player’s agent was even in London in order to discuss terms with potential suitors. It is highly likely that Inter Milan would not sell the youngster Andrea Pinamonti in January, but it is highly possible that a move may happen in the summer. Pinamonti has been in the team only for the last couple of weeks, and he has straightaway generated a lot of buzz around Europe.
It is understood that even though he is one of the highly rated talents in the Italian Serie A, Inter Milan have not been able to secure the player on a long-term contract. Many clubs are now looking to take advantage of the situation. Spurs were one of the first to make an approach, but Chelsea have also joined in the race with a new approach.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino does not favour signing new players in January and it is highly likely that he may stick with the situation concerning Pinamonti. However, it is highly likely that even if Pinamonti is brought in, the 17-year-old may not be able to play in the first-team straightaway. On this aspect, bringing in the player in January sounds like an ideal time.
The entry of Chelsea does not make Spurs fear in terms of transfer offer, as the North London outfit have proved that they are more than a match for the West London club. However, the presence of manager Antonio Conte in the Chelsea dugout could significantly alter the potential destination of a player. As an Italian, Pinamonti would certainly look forward to playing under his countryman Conte rather than under Argentine Mauricio Pochettino.
It appears that Pinamonti first came under the radar of Antonio Conte when the former Juventus boss was in charge of the Italian national team before joining Chelsea. Conte was also working with the youth teams for the Italian national team. Pinamonti has been pretty much a regular at the youth levels after having featured in 17 games for the Italy under 17 team. He is yet to feature for the senior team, but he was recently given progression to the under 19 team in August. Since then, he has already made four appearances for the youth team.
The youngster’s only appearance for Inter Milan was in the Europa league when he played 80 minutes against Sparta Prague. Even though he did not make much of an impact, he became one of the youngest ever players to represent Inter Milan on the European stage.
